新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2015/03/02（打印版）

The Chinese president has been invited to visit the UK. Prince William met with the leader in Beijing and handed him an invitation written by Queen Elizabeth...

A central government advisory body made statements on the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, terrorism, and Hong Kong ahead of the upcoming Two Sessions meetings...

and a senior Australian official says the hunt for missing flight MH370 may be called off...

Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of minus 1. It will have sunshine tomorrow with a high of 4.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 8 degrees. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 12.

Chinese President Xi Jinping says he looks forward to visiting the United Kingdom later this year.

He commented after meeting with Britain's Prince William today, in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People.

During the meeting, Prince William handed President Xi a letter written by Queen Elizabeth II, in which she invited the Chinese president to visit the United Kingdom.

The President has accepted the invitation, saying he's looking forward to meeting with the Queen and discussing the Sino-Britain relationship.

"There are two old sayings in China. One says "Seeing is believing," another says " One look is worth a thousand words". I welcome you, Prince William and all other royal families, to come to China. Walk around and have a look. I believe this trip will be a fruitful journey of friendship which will enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples. I wish you a great visit."

Later, William also met with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and the two witnessed the singing of an agreement on cultural exchanges.

After Beijing, Prince William will travel to Shanghai, where he will launch the Great Festival of Creativity which marks the start of a year of cultural exchange between China and Britain.

"It is going to be a very informative few days for me. I look forward to, as you say, strengthening UK-China relations, building things for the future. I am particularly interested in the young people and see how that generation develops and is aware of the world as it is."

During Monday's meeting, President Xi and Prince William, both soccer fans, also talked about sporting exchanges between the two countries.

During his visit to Yunnan province, Price William will be touring a wild elephant valley and will attend a series of cultural and public welfare events.

A spokesperson for the upcoming meetings of the National Committee of China's top political advisory body has issued new statements on the country's ongoing anti-corruption campaign, terrorism, and constitutional reforms in Hong Kong.

Hundreds of Chinese and foreign journalists gathered at the very first press conference ahead of CPPCC's annual session.

Spokesperson Lv Xinhua says China's national political advisory body has no room for corrupt officials.

Last year, two vice chairmen of the CPPCC National Committee, Ling Jihua and Su Rong, were investigated for corruption.

"Here I want to say that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is no harbor for corrupt officials. We fully support the investigation into those corrupt officials who have violated rules and might break the law. Although most of their violations did not occur during their tenure as leading national political advisors, the cases have affected the image of the CPPCC. As such, the Party will upgrade and overhaul anti-corruption measures."

A CPPCC meeting over the weekend saw the removal of Ling Jihua from his post, and his membership to the country's top political advisory body has also been stripped.

Also, Su Roog is being investigated by the Supreme People's court over allegations of accepting huge bribes.

Commenting on media reports that there might be "bigger tigers", or senior-level corrupt officials, brought down in the country's anti-corruption drive, Lyu says China's anti-corruption effort "has no limit or ceiling" and "no one has impunity.

On the subject of terrorism, Lv says China has set the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as a major target, as violence and terrorism have been on the rise in recent years, especially in Xinjiang .

"China set the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as the major target when seeking international cooperation against terrorism last year. Meanwhile, the country has set up counter-terrorism cooperation with more than 10 countries and has engaged in information sharing, intelligence verification, case cooperation, and capacity building."

Speaking of the ongoing constitutional reform in Hong Kong, Lv says Chinese government's stance is "clear and consistent".

"The central government unswervingly supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in developing democracy in an orderly and gradual manner. It also supports Hong Kong in achieving universal suffrage in the election of a new Chief Executive in 2017, according to the Hong Kong Basic Law and decisions made by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee."

During the first press conference of the upcoming sessions, Lv also hailed internal improvements to the CPPCC as the national political advisory body, featuring its "biweekly panel discussions".

Chinese basketball sensation Yao Ming's sports reform proposal raised during the "biweekly discussion" is likely to be addressed during this year's annual session.

Thirty-two people have been injured after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck southwest China's Yunnan Province on Sunday afternoon.

The tremor has affected more than 67,000 residents in Lincang City, displacing more than 12 thousand.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Yunnan's Ludian County on Aug. 3 of last year, claiming more than 600 lives and destroying over 80,000 homes.

China's central anti-corruption team has started a two-month-long inspection of 20 major state-owned enterprises.

This is part of the country's first round of disciplinary inspections in 2015, covering 26 state-owned enterprises including State Grid Corporation, State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation, and China Power Investment Corporation.

Wang Binghua is secretary of the Communist Party of China committee of State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation.

"Each department and unit will cooperate with the inspection team to carry out seminars, forums, opinion polls, person-to-person talks, and research. We will work to provide a good environment for the team and make sure the inspection work is carried out smoothly."

All major state-owned enterprises will be inspected this year in an effort to push forward China's SOE reform.

Twenty-seven thousand heads of livestock have been killed due to a shortage of fodder, which is blamed on the heavy snowstorm that hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early last week.

The snow has affected more than 8,000 people in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Qian Zan is a local herdsman in Dulan County, the worst-affected area. He has lost 200 sheep due to the extreme weather.

"When the mother sheep are short of food, the lambs will soon die of hunger as there isn't enough milk to feed them. "

Meanwhile, over 30 vehicles have been freed and more than 100 people have been rescued on a highway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Right now, two snow clearing squads are still operating amid continuous snow and low visibility in Tibet's Ali Prefecture.

China has urged all sides to "show restraint" after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and warned of "merciless strikes" against its enemies.

The move is seen as a protest against the annual military exercises between Seoul and Washington, which Pyongyang claims are preparation for a northward invasion.

"The Chinese side is observing events. We think that ensuring peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the north-eastern part of Asia is beneficial to all parties involved. It is the responsibility of all sides to maintain it."

South Korea calls it "a deliberate provocation seen as an armed protest" while Japan calls the move a "transgression of the North Korea-Japan Pyongyang Statement".

A senior Australian official says the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 may be called off as no trace of the plane has been found after a year of searching.

"For many of the families onboard, they won't have closure unless they have certain knowledge that the aircraft's been located and perhaps their loved ones' remains have been recovered and that is the very strong feeling of many of the families on board. And, we would like to be able to do what we can to, for them to have that kind of closure. But, we can't go on forever and eventually a judgment will have to be made."

More than two dozen countries have been involved in the air, sea, and underwater search for the missing plane in the past year.

Despite Australia's announcement, Kelly Wen, wife of a Chinese passenger on the flight, still holds out hope.

"I believe my husband is still alive. So no matter where he is now, if he can see me, I hope he will be strong to live on, because we have been waiting for him. The whole world can give up, but we will wait for him to come home."

Currently, the search phase is focused on the sea floor west of the Australian city Perth. That effort will likely be finished by May.

MH370 disappeared on March 8th of last year while on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard.

At the same time, authorities from Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia are launching a new trial program to better track aircraft.

The new system uses satellite-based positioning technology already on board 90 percent of all long-haul aircraft that transmit the plane's current position and its next two planned positions.

Iraq's government forces have begun a large-scale military operation to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown- Tikrit- from the Islamic State extremist group.

This comes a day after Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi called on the allied Sunni tribal fighters to abandon the Islamic State group, ahead of the offensive.

"Today, God willing, we start an important military campaign to liberate the citizens of Salahuddin province including Tikrit and other areas in the province from Islamic State militants. So, I call upon you and all other commanders to deal with citizens well. Our goal is to liberate people from oppression and terrorism. We should protect the citizens and their properties."

Allied Shiite militias and Iraqi security forces have stationed themselves around Tikrit prior to the offensive.

The city, 130 kilometres north of Baghdad, fell into the hands of the Islamic State group last summer.

It also sits on the road to Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, which is also held by the extremists.

The Afghan army is waging its largest-ever solo offensive against the Taliban, hoping to strike a decisive blow ahead of the spring fighting season.

Afghan troops have been slowly pushing up through a fertile river valley in Helmand province, in the country's south.

The operation has proved successful so far with significantly more causalities on the insurgents' side.

"So far we have a report of 250 enemy casualties, which include around 150 dead. With the grace of God the fatality and casualty numbers are very low among security forces, and civilians haven't been much affected either."

Meanwhile, the town of Sangin in the east of Hemland province, which had seen months of heavy fighting, was declared clear on Friday.

Khan Mohammad, a local, who was injured in the operation, is hopeful the area will be safe.

"If, after the offensive, there will be check points established in the area it will be secure. If all troops leave after the operation then it will not be effective."

Up until Thursday about 170 patients were admitted to the hospital from Sangin as well as the neighbouring town of Marjah.

However, the real test of the operation's effectiveness will come later, when Afghan forces try to hold hard-won territory.

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department shot and killed a homeless man during a confrontation on a downtown street on Sunday.

LA officials say officers encountered the man while responding to a robbery call. The shooting happened after the man resisted arrest, and tried to grab one of the officer's weapon.

"During that altercation at least one less than lethal device, a taser, was deployed. However at this time we still do not know if that Taser did strike the suspect. After that the struggle continued and an officer-involved shooting occurred."

Video of the incident was posted online and shows the officers scuffling with the man. Once on the ground, the man continues struggling, at which point several shots are fired.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the homeless man, who has not yet been identified, was declared dead at a hospital shortly after the shooting.

Chinese stocks saw a bullish run on Monday as the unexpected interest rate cut on Saturday boosted market sentiment.

Stocks related to environmental protection, securities, and Internet finance led the gains.

A string of concept stocks related to treatment of air pollution soared by the daily limit of 10 percent.

In currencies, China's yuan fell to its lowest level against the dollar since October 2012, also reflected by the rate cut.

China's central bank has cut interest rates, earlier than expected, for the second time in three months.

Since then, the PBoC has also cut reserve requirements for banks, freeing up more money for banks to lend.

The interest rate cut is expected to reduce funding costs for enterprises and tackle looming disinflationary risk amid the continued economic slowdown.

The rate cut also aims to help stabilize growth by anchoring infrastructure investment and property.

For more on the interest rate cut, the Beijing Hour's Paul James earlier spoke with Mike Bastin, Director of The China Business Centre based in London.

China's State Information Center, a government think tank, says a steady slowdown is expected for the Chinese economy this year.

The economy is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 7 percent in the first quarter, with investment growth in the property and manufacturing sectors continuing to slow.

Growth in consumption is estimated to be basically stable against the backdrop of rising incomes and declining retail goods prices.

The State Information Center forecasts that first quarter exports will grow around 5 percent, while imports will decline 10 percent.

Several economic indicators at the beginning of the year, including manufacturing and trade data, all suggested continued weakness in China's economy.

China's upcoming annual legislative session is expected to see more economic reforms aimed at reviving economic growth engines.

Barclays' China Economics Team expects the National People's Congress to show more commitment to structural reform with a focus on strengthening market-oriented resource allocation, economic rebalancing, and growth sustainability.

Bloomberg economists says the NPC will also signpost priorities on the long term reform agenda.

They say a national plan for transforming ownership and operation of state-owned enterprises, following pilot schemes in 2014, is imminent.

Wang Xiaoguang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Governance says the reforms will be wide ranging and better coordinated, to ensure a stronger environment for economic development.

New home prices in China fell again in February amid slack sentiment during the holiday season.

China Index Academy says the average price of new homes in 100 cities dropped by nearly a quarter of a percent from last month.

But the Academy says a stable performance is expected for the rest of the year, with favorable policies announced by the government.

This move should benefit both home buyers and developers in addition to leaving positive impacts on the market.

Samsung has unveiled an important new phone that ditches its signature plastic design for more stylish metal and glass.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge both feature an aluminum frame sandwiched between a glass front and back.

Both phones will include technology for mobile payments, though Samsung isn't unveiling a service to rival the iPhone's Apple Pay until this summer.

The phones will be available for purchase starting April 10. Samsung hasn't announced price details.

On the same event, Chinese tech giant Huawei unveiled a series of wearable devices including the Huawei Watch, and two new smarter fitness tracking TalkBand and a its next-generation MediaPad X2

China Three Gorges Corporation, operator of the world's largest hydroelectric power project, is looking to issue bonds overseas for the first time.

Analysts say the deal underlines the determination of Chinese state-owned enterprises to reduce their reliance on domestic bank loans and bond markets.

The policy shift, which covers both companies keen to fund overseas expansions, has caused a surge in international bond sales out of China in recent years.

China's online marketplace, 58.com, has announced that it has acquired Anjuke, a major online real estate listing platform in China.

Founded in Shanghai in 2007, Anjuke is a real-estate search engine for home buyers and renters.

This transaction creates China's largest secondary and rental real estate platform by combining 58.com's housing content category with Anjuke's platform.

Chinese President Xi Jinping says he looks forward to visiting the United Kingdom later this year.

The Chinese leader made this remark Monday while meeting with Britain's Prince William in Beijing.

During the meeting, Prince William handed Xi Jinping a letter written by Queen Elizabeth II, in which she invited the Chinese president to visit the United Kingdom.

It's the first trip to the Chinese mainland by a member of the British royal family in almost three decades.

A spokesperson from China's top political advisory body has reaffirmed the government's zero-tolerance stance on corruption, saying that no corrupt officials are immune to punishment.

Lv Xinhua made this remark Monday at a press conference of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which will begin its annual session on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said the CPPCC is not a harbor for corrupt officials, despite the investigation of its former senior members Ling Jihua and Su Rong.

Authorities said on Sunday that Ling Jihua, former vice-chairman of the political advisory body, has been removed from his post, as a result of the widening national drive to combat graft in China's ruling Party.